On October 11, 1947, African American newspapers across the country announced a historic endorsement deal that would pave the way for so many others to come:
Jackie Robinson had officially agreed to let Bond Bread use his image to promote their products to the African-American communities in Brooklyn, and other parts of the United States.
Dixie Walker, often considered to be one of the Dodgers' players that was most outspoken about not wanting to play with Jackie Robinson, was the face of Wonder Bread.
Bond Bread saw the opportunity to use Jackie Robinson to cross racial lines, and to build a stronger African-American consumer base. However, there was one hitch to their plan - Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson had made an agreement that endorsement deals would not be part of the picture during his rookie season.
Finally, upon completion of the World Series in 1947, Branch Rickey conceded, and allowed Robinson to ink the deal with Bond Bread for $500. This would pave the way for other endorsement deals soon after (Old Gold Cigarettes and Borden's Milk).
I don't want to go into further details about the set / endorsement deal, as I am finalizing my research on it. I will post my findings once they are complete, and my article has been written.
What I will say, though, is that the mystique and history behind this set has attracted some powerhouse collectors and famous individuals.
That being said...
On May 27, 2011, I began my journey to do what seemed like the impossible: collect the entire set of 13 Jackie Robinson Bond Bread cards. I had just started getting back into collecting after a nearly 20 year hiatus.
I actually had sent Donald Spence a message on eBay inquiring about the set... to which he told me that it took him nearly 6 years to finish his #1 set.
Challenge accepted.
To up the ante, I told myself that I would not buy the Portrait Facsimile card (most common in the set with a total pop of 59) until I had the other 12 cards in my possession.
And so I stayed the course...
Until, more than 3 1/2 years ... on January 20, 2015, I received the final card that I needed for the set. Ironically, it was Spence that sold me that final card, which was the Portrait Facsimile card. I had stuck to my word.
I do have to say that I owe A LOT (endless) thanks to a couple of individuals that have really been a tremendous help in getting me to this point... those two being Greg S. (BOTN) and Jason E. (JackieRobinson.net). I also want to thank Mike (seamhed) for further feeding my interest in the set, and planting the seed to really research the set and its significance.
At 13 cards, one wouldn't think that this set would be all that difficult to complete. However, those that have started this beast will tell you otherwise, and the pop reports speak for themselves.
Because I have purchased the majority of the non-portrait SGC Bond Breads, and cracked them out to put them in PSA holders, I'll list only the PSA population reports:
Total Population for the Set: 193 cards
Awaiting the Pitch - Total Pop: 13
Batting, No Sleeves - Total Pop: 8
Batting, White Sleeves - Total Pop: 19
Fielding, Ball in Glove - Total Pop: 9
Fielding, No Ball Visible - Total Pop: 14
Leaping, Scoreboard - Total Pop: 10
Leaping, No Scoreboard - Total Pop: 6
Portrait, Glove in Air - Total Pop: 6
Running Down the Baseline - Total Pop: 12
Running to Catch the Ball - Total Pop: 10
Sliding - Total Pop: 20
Throwing - Total Pop: 7
Portrait, Facsimile Sig - Total Pop: 59
Some stats, and then some pictures...
First Bond Bread card purchased: Batting, White Sleeves (raw - would grade a PSA 1.5)
Multiples that I have owned at one point during my collecting journey:
Sliding (2 - PSA 3, PSA 5 - sold the PSA 3);
Batting White Sleeves (3 - PSA 1.5, PSA 4, PSA 6 MK - sold the PSA 1.5 and PSA 4)
Leaping, No Scoreboard (2 - PSA 2, PSA 3 - sold the PSA 2)
Leaping, Scoreboard (2 - PSA 2, PSA 6 - sold the PSA 2)
Running to Catch the Ball (2 - PSA 4, PSA 6 - sold the PSA 6)
And now, pictures of my set (total grade: 4.12), one of only 4 complete sets (2 more were completed in the past, 1991, and 2010)
Portrait - Facsimile Signature - 1947
Portrait - Glove in the Air - 1947-1948
Leaping, No Scoreboard - 1947-1948
Fielding, No Ball Visible - 1947-1948
Fielding, Ball in Glove - 1947-1948
Awaiting the Pitch - 1947-1948
Batting, White Sleeves - 1947-1948
Batting, No Sleeves - 1949
Leaping, Scoreboard in Back - 1949
Running Down the Baseline - 1949
Throwing - 1949
Sliding - 1949
Running to Catch the Ball - 1949
